One Hundred Glimpses
by jayitaintso
Summary: One hundred pieces, most of drabble length, each a glimpse into Katara's life post-series, for the 100 women community on LJ. Katara-centric zutara.
1. Skin 25

25. Skin

The noblewomen of the Fire Nation had some very strange habits when it came to skincare. Several of the things they considered beauty products, Katara considered food. If she had ever rubbed pureed seaweed or reduced tigerseel blubber on her face back home, people would have called her crazy. The women of Zuko's court payed ridiculous amounts for tigerseel blubber, imported from the northern Earth Kingdom and, under the new trade agreements, the Water Tribes. Ty Lee had given her a jar when Katara had complained to her about the havoc the local climate was wreaking on her skin. Katara had frozen it and diced it, then eaten it. It tasted like home, and also preservatives. She wasn't going to waste a good, Water Tribe-style meal by rubbing it on her face, humidity induced acne or no.


	2. Laughter 13

13. Laughter

The first time Mai and Zuko broke up was also the first time Katara got drunk. It was rice wine, in Zuko's private quarters. She listened to him rant about Mai's lack of emotion, or affection, or understanding. Trying to move away from a hundred years of war economy was not, he informed her easy. He needed some support!

"Also," he said once they were well and truly drunk, "she's kind of boring in bed."

Katara pictured Mai, with her usual expression of disinterest and disdain, doing a sexy, hip swinging dance. She burst out into a fit of giggles.

"What?" said Zuko.

"Does her expression change at all?" asked Katara.

"I... don't know," said Zuko. "It's generally pretty dark, and – "

Katara slid off the low couch they were seated on, knocking over several empty bottles, and pounded the floor in laughter.

"Time for more wine," said Zuko.

They woke up tangled on the floor together the next morning, each with a headache the size of Appa.

Mai and Zuko were back together by the end of the week.


	3. Beginnings 1

1. Beginnings

Katara did not write to inform Zuko that she was coming. She showed up out of the blue one day, a month after her last letter, and informed the outer palace guards that she was a close personal friend of the firelord, and she planned to stay at the palace for a while. They had her escorted down the slope of the dormant volcano to the city. She snuck in with a load of cabbage for the kitchens and found Zuko sitting in one of the private gardens, feeding the turtleducks. He didn't notice her until she sat down beside him, and even then he didn't look at her. He kept throwing crumbs to the turtleducks, his stooped posture unchanged.

"I said I wasn't to be disturbed," he said. His voice was calm, heavy with authority.

"I wouldn't know," said Katara. "I snuck in with the produce. What do you need so much cabbage for, anyway?"

Zuko's head snapped up and a wild grin formed on his mouth. "Katara! This is perfect!"

"What?"

"You," he informed her, standing and wiping crumbs off his robe, "are a member of the ruling family of an allied nation. Or tribe. Something. Anyway, I have to throw a reception for you. That means Minister Yun will have to leave me alone for at least a couple days."

"Nice to see you, too," said Katara, crossing her arms. Zuko blushed.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just I've been having to sneak around my own palace to avoid this guy. He's not happy about the new official history I've commisioned and – "

"You'll have plenty of time to tell me," said Katara. "I'm staying for a while. Indefinitely, in fact."

Zuko shrugged. "Okay. But you have to promise to have important Water Tribe matters to discuss with me if I really need to get away from Yun."

"Deal," she said, and drew him into a hug.


	4. Sister 54

54. Sister

By the third time Mai and Zuko broke up, Katara had come to expect the late night knock on her door. The fourth time, she even sent for the wine to be brought to her quarters ahead of time, to spare the fire lord the indignity of sneaking in to his own cellars, as they'd had to do last time to renew their supply. The knock on her door came at exactly nine-o-candle. Katara opened the door, adopting the proper expression of condolence, which didn't last long once she saw that it was Mai, not Zuko, who was standing outside.

"Lady Mai? Um, can I help you?" said Katara.

"I need someone to talk to, and since you're unlikely to have a political angle, you're it," said Mai, brushing past Katara. "He comes here, doesn't he, when we're having trouble? The servants say you get drunk together, and they hear you laughing."

Katara crossed her arms. "Yeah, Zuko comes here. What about it?"

"How do you make him laugh?" asked Mai.

"What?"

"He never laughs with me," said Mai. "It should be perfect, the two of us. I've loved him since I was a little girl, and the passion is there." She paused, blinked. "I think that's the first time I've said it."

"Said what?" asked Katara. She seated herself on one of the floor cushions and motioned for Mai to do the same.

"That I... you know," said Mai.

"Are you that afraid to say it again?" said Katara.

"I love him."

"I know."

"And I want to be there for him," said Mai "I want to be there with him, really there, but it's been so long..."

"So long since what?" asked Katara. She was trying to imitate Gran-Gran's expression from when she'd gone to her with her feelings and private griefs, but inside she was panicking. She had no idea where this was going, and she felt, despite the fact that Mai had come to her, that she was taking advantage of the other girl.

"Since I acted on my feelings without considering the consequences. For me, for my father, for my family. I want to just *be* and I can't."

Katara looked away. Nothing in Mai's expression matched the turmoil she had just revealed, but it felt indecent to look at her when she was exposing herself emotionally like this.

"Would you- do you want some wine?" asked Katara.

"Sure," said Mai. "Why not?"


End file.
